Environment, Health & Safety

ZimPhos has a comprehensive environmental, health and safety programme to ensure sustainability of all its operations for the sake of the environment, employees and all stakeholders.

ZimPhos places great emphasis on sound environmental management and the comprehensive effluent abatement and control program is an integral part of the company’s operations. The company’s tailings dams are lined to prevent seepage of pollutants into ground water. ZimPhos is certified to the ISO 9001 quality, ISO14001 environmental and OSHAS 18001 occupational health and safety standards.

The company has a dedicated environmental management department run by graduate specialists. The department is responsible for ongoing programmes in the areas of air, water and land quality management. The ZimPhos factory was certified to ISO 14001, the international environmental standard in 2003. In the relentless pursuit of world class standards the company also was certified to OSHAS 18001, the international standard for occupational health and safety in 2006.

Effluent from process operations and seepage from the factory surrounds is collected and pumped to a waste water treatment plant. The acidic effluents mainly contains fluorides, sulphates, residual phosphates and other metal contaminants which are treated first by neutralizing the effluents with hydrated lime. The pollutants precipitate out as insoluble calcium salts and the clear treated water is either reused in the factory orused for irrigating woodlots in the factory surrounds.